Nissan SR20DET Swap Guide Part 3

The US chassis wipers won’t work with the SR wiper relay box so you’ll need to use the KA one. The easiest thing to do is just re-pin the SR plug so that it corresponds with the USDM wiper relay. Luckily the wire colors are all the same. As the image shows, look at the USDM plug and move the colored wires around on the SR plug so they correspond to the same pin-out.

Next there’s the matter of the vacuum lines running off the turbo and IC piping. The OE boost control solenoid won’t work without a bunch of wiring and most of us won’t use it anyway. A manual boost controller can work just fine or in my case I installed an electronic boost controller.

It’s finally time to fill up the engine and trans with fluids! I poured Redline 5W30 oil in the engine and Royal Purple SynchroMax into the transmission.

Don’t forget about the oil filter! It’s always a good idea to prime (or fill) the filter with oil before you install it. This way there’s less time running without oil pressure the first time you fire the engine up.

Royal Purple Max EZ synthetic power steering fluid is a great choice since it’s supposed to foam less and last much longer than the conventional OE fluid. I’ll be abusing this car regularly at the race track, so the RP fluid should handle the heat better too.

There’s just one last aftermarket item that needs to be installed. I picked up a Megan Racing downpipe because it has a flex section in it so it should help with the vibration and flex from the turbo setup.

As with most cheap products there are always fitment issues. You can see the flex section is super tight to the floorboard so I had to bang it up a bit to ensure it won’t rub or rattle.

Fill the radiator up with fluid but don’t close it up just yet. When you start the engine and run it until the system clears itself of air. Ensure to have a catch pan below and allow the coolant system to purge all the air. Continue to add coolant as necessary.

High five your buddy or yourself if you’ve been working alone because the swap is complete! Of course there’s still the task of it actually starting. Do a quick once over of everything and then try to start it. If everything is hooked up properly it should fire right up. If it does, jump back underneath and quickly look for leaks. It’s also a good idea to let the engine idle until the rad fan switches on. Once the air has worked its way out of the system shut the car down and top up the fluid. This way you know you’ve got a functioning fan and thermostat and a properly purged coolant system. If all seems good at this point, then it’s time to take the car off the jack stands and take your SR-powered 240 for its maiden voyage.

If for some reason it doesn’t start, don’t panic. Check over all your connections and then test for fuel and spark. Usually it’s one of those issues which can be remedied fairly quickly.

Although I did my best to snap photos and be as thorough as possible with every step it by no way means that my method is the only method to perform this swap. There are many ways to swap an engine into a car, this is just one of them.

So what are you waiting for, stop reading this and get out there and try your hand at an SR20 swap, it’s one of the best bang for the buck mods any 240 owner can do!